The racial wealth gap in the United States has been a persistent feature of the national economy, largely because there was never proper compensation paid to Black people for historic and contemporary racial harms. Consequently, Black youth remain disadvantaged compared to white kids, who benefit from generational wealth and other privileges.
In a new piece for the YES! digital series “Realizing Reparations,” youth advocate Torie Weiston-Serdan begins with this context to assert that “providing spaces for youth power and healing is essential, and while money alone cannot fully remedy racial trauma, investing in programs and resources to support Black youth is critical to narrowing disparities in wealth, health, and beyond.”
Weiston-Serdan is co-founder and chief visionary officer of the Youth Mentoring Action Network. She spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about her story, “Spaces As Reparations for Black Youth.”